Splitting mechanism



1944- J. J. KENDLE ET AL I 2,356,324

SPLITTING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 20, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l 7.00 W YawvaJOHN J. KENDLE INVENTOR Zw/Q.

ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 22, 1944 SPLITTING MECHANISM John J. Kendle,Buckley, and Eldon W. Young, Copalis Crossing, Wash.

Application December 20, 1941, Serial No. 423,802

1 Claim.

Our invention relates to a splitting mechanism which is particularlyadapted for splitting blocks of wood as in the production of shakes orshingles of the split type and useful in roofing and wall covering. Itwill be apparent that the invention has many other uses in splittingblock material.

An important object of our invention is the pro-vision of a verticallydisposed knife blade to which blocks to be split are conveyed, and.during which conveyance, means operate upon the block to align it withrespect to the blade so that the split may be obtained in apredetermined desired upright plane.

Another object of our invention is to provide a vertically disposedknife blade to which blocks of material to be split are conveyed andpresented with force to accomplish a splitting action, which conveyingmeans will also carry the split portions of the block past the knife forsubsequent disposal.

A further objectof the invention relates to the provision in a splittingmechanism in which a block of material to be split is presented to aknife blade, and in which mechanism a pair of synchronized pressermembers operate upon the block, during its conveyance to the knife, toposition it to insure that the knife will split it in a desired andpredetermined plane through the block.

Still another object of our invention relates to the provision, in asplitting mechanism wherein a block of material is presented to avertically disposed knife blade, of means pressing against the block asit is presented to the knife blade to align it therewith and which meansare resiliently pressed and synchronized together so that outwardlyexerted pressure against the resiliency of one member will be translatedto the other member for the purpose of aligning the block passingtherebetween.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more apparentduring the course of the following description.

In the drawings accompanying this specification, and in which likenumerals designate like parts throughout the same, we have illustrated apreferred and a modified form of our invention. It will be apparent thatchanges and alterations in material, size, shape and general arrangementof parts and the like may be made within the scope of the subjoinedclaim without departing from the principles of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of our splitting mechanism,

Figure 2 is a plan View of the devic of Figure 1, shown somewhatenlarged, with portions omitted for convenience of illustration,

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View taken longitudinally through themachine of Figure 2, and with portions shown in elevation for clarity ofillustration,

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on a plane lying belowthat of the showing of Figure 2, and illustrating a block of material tobe split as it appears in passing through the mechanism,

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Figure 2,

Figure 6 is a sectional View taken on line 56 of Figure 2,

Figure '7 is a sectional view taken on line l-! of Figure 2,

Figure 8 is a perspective View illustrating a modified form of pressermeans employed in our splitting mechanism, and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the manner in which thedevice of Figure 8 is associated with the knife blade that we employ forthe splitting operation.

The numeral I ll designates a supporting leg of our Work table whichalso has stub legs l2 supported by wheels l3. Longitudinally of themachine, and associated with the upper ends of legs l8 and i2 are a pairof frame members l4 and I5 that extend throughout the length of themachine in spaced apart relation from each other. An intermediate shelfIt, that may be seen in Figures 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7, is supported betweenrails M and 15. An inverted U-shaped housing "3 is attached to the upperface of the members !4 and I5, throughout a portion of their length. Avertically disposed knife blade 20 is shown secured at 2| to shelf l6and extending upwardly between the walls of the housing l8, beingsupported at its upper end by the horizontal wall 22 of the housing.

Knife blade 20 is disposed substantially medial to the housing !8.

A forwardly extending flange or plate 24 of the housing 18 providesbearing or journal means for the upper ends of shafts 26. The lower endsof the shafts 26 are also journaled in clips 2'! which are attached tothe members l4 and H5. Extending rearwardly from each shaft 26 are theresilient presser members 30 which are resiliently and constantly urgedtoward each other by means of the springs 32 mounted upon bolts 33 thatattach at one end to the member 30 and pass through angle clip 34.

The upper ends of the shafts 26 each carry gear segments 36 that aremeshed together to synchronize the movement of the wings 3B.

A pair of endless feed chains 38 pass over sheaves or sprockets as 39 ona shaft 40 and sprockets 4| on a shaft 42 behind the knife 28. Thesechains are provided with upstanding lugs 44 which engage a block ofmaterial as B to convey it to the knife 20.

The chains or endless feed elements are spaced apart slightly to pass oneither side of knife 20 and thereby carry the split material away fromthe knife after the splitting operation has been accomplished. Power isapplied to the feed element from the motor 46 by means of a belt 41, anda fly wheel 48. Wheel 48 rotates the shaft 49 and the pinion 50 which isin mesh with gear to produce rotation of the drive shaft 42 in the usualmanner.

In Figures 8 and 9 an alternative form of presser member is employed inwhich shafts 6B are provided with cam portions mounted thereon eccentricto the axis of the shafts. The cam portions are indicated by the numeral68 and function in the same manner as members 30. The upper ends ofshaft 66 are synchronized together with gear segments such as 35, andthe lower ends of the shafts are each provided with a lever that arejoined by a spring 12, which positively, although resiliently, urges thecam portions toward each other.

In the operation of the device, a block of wood is placed by an operatorupon the feed chains 38 so that a lug 44 engages the following end ofthe block and forces it forwardly toward the vertically disposed knifeblade. As the block passes into the space between the presser members30, or the members 68 in the modified form of the invention, engagementis usually effected with one or the other of the members, or it may beeffected with both members simultaneously. The members, beingsynchronized together, tend to dispose the block of material to be splitintermediate of them in a manner to present it medially to the splittingknife. As the block of material under the urgence of lug 44 engages thesloping or undercut edge 23 of the knife, the knife enters the wood andproduces a fracture that tends to follow a natural line of cleavagetherebetween. Half of the block, approximately, will pass on each sideof the blade, and be conveyed on through the housing l8 and out the tailend of the mechanism. It is desirable to provide means in a splittingmechanism to properly align the block to be split during conveyance sothat the split will be effected in a predetermined upright plane in theblock. That is the function of members or 68.

In preparing the material for the splitting operation accomplished inour mechanism it is customary to shape them to an approximate standard,and thereafter it is desirable that they be split approximately equallydown the center, or in any other desired plane, so that a uniformproduct will result, even despite variations in grain structure and thelike.

splitting operations may be carried on in our mechanism with continuityand at high speed, and uniformity in the product is an importantcharacteristic that has heretofore been unable to be attained in splitshakes, which is one use in which the invention is very practical ofadaptation.

We claim:

In a splitting mechanism wherein a block of material to be split ispresented to a vertically disposed knife blade, means for aligning saidblock with respect to said blade and comprising: a pair of opposedcylindrical presser members each mounted to swing about a vertical axiseccentric of the axis of their cylindrical contour, the major portion ofsaid cylindrical presser members extending knifeward from said axis ofrotation, means for resiliently urging said presser members toward eachother, and means operable to retract either presser member against itsbias when pressure is applied to the other of said presser members.

JOHN J. KENDLE. ELDON W. YOUNG.

